U.S. patent application number 10/741226 was filed with the patent office on 2005-06-23 for stabilizing plasma and generator interactions.
Invention is credited to Brouk, Victor L., Heckman, Randy L..
Application Number | 20050134186 10/741226 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34678084 |
Filed Date | 2005-06-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050134186 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Brouk, Victor L. ; et
al. |
June 23, 2005 |
Stabilizing plasma and generator interactions
Abstract
An approach for stabilizing the interactions between a plasma
and the generator powering the plasma is provided. Reactive
elements disposed between the power generator and plasma operate to
modify the apparent impedance characteristics of the plasma such
that the trajectory of the plasma load impedance as a function of
power is substantially aligned locally with the contours of
constant power output in impedance space. In this way,
instabilities in the generator and plasma system are avoided
because reinforcement or amplification of fluctuations in plasma
impedance due to interactions between the generator and the plasma
are reduced or eliminated. The reactive elements may be variable in
order to align plasma trajectories and generator power contours
under a range of process conditions.
Inventors: |
Brouk, Victor L.; (Fort
Collins, CO) ; Heckman, Randy L.; (Fort Collins,
CO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.
1625 Sharp Point Drive
Fort Collins
CO
80525
US
|
Family ID: |
34678084 |
Appl. No.: |
10/741226 |
Filed: |
December 19, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
315/111.21 ;
315/111.81 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01J 37/32183 20130101;
H01J 37/32935 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
315/111.21 ;
315/111.81 |
International
Class: |
H01J 007/24 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of stabilizing a plasma, comprising: a) providing a
plasma processing system having a plasma chamber; b) providing a
power delivery system that furnishes alternating current power to
the plasma chamber to create a plasma therein; c) determining the
impedance trajectory of the plasma at an operating condition; and
d) stabilizing the plasma by substantially matching the impedance
trajectory of the plasma to a contour of constant power output of
the power delivery system.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the impedance trajectory of the
plasma is substantially matched to the contour of constant power
output of the power delivery system using trajectory matching
circuitry.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the trajectory matching circuitry
comprises a network of reactive electrical elements.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the network of reactive electrical
elements is at least a third order network.
5. The method of claim 3 wherein the network of reactive electrical
elements substantially matches both the steady state output
impedance and the contour of constant power output of the power
delivery system.
6. The method of claim 3 wherein the reactive value of at least one
of the elements of the network is variable.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the impedance trajectory of the
plasma is determined during process operation and used to adjust
the reactive value of the at least one of the elements of the
network.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the impedance trajectory of the
plasma is substantially matched to the contour of constant power
output of the power delivery system using a transmission line.
9. A plasma processing system, comprising: a) a plasma chamber; b)
a power delivery system that furnishes alternating current power to
the plasma chamber to create a plasma therein; and c) trajectory
matching circuitry that stabilizes the plasma by substantially
matching the impedance trajectory of the plasma to a contour of
constant power output of the power delivery system.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein the trajectory matching circuitry
comprises a network of reactive electrical elements.
11. The system of claim 10 wherein the network of reactive
electrical elements is at least a third order network.
12. The system of claim 10 wherein the network of reactive
electrical elements substantially matches both the steady state
output impedance and the contour of constant power output of the
power delivery system.
13. The system of claim 10 wherein the reactive value of at least
one of the elements of the network is variable.
14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a trajectory match
controller that determines the impedance trajectory of the plasma
during process operation and adjusts the reactive value of the at
least one of the elements of the network to stabilize the plasma.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates generally to plasma processing
systems, and more particularly to apparatus and methods for
stabilizing interactions between plasmas and power delivery
systems.
[0003] 2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Plasma processing systems are widely used in a variety of
industries for modifying the surface properties of materials. For
example, the manufacture of modern integrated circuits generally
involves many processing steps that use plasmas for etching of
submicrometer features, or for depositing atomically thin layers of
materials.
[0005] A typical plasma processing system comprises a processing
chamber and a power delivery system that creates and maintains the
plasma inside the chamber. Electrically, the plasma is a load with
a characteristic impedance that is driven by the power generator.
The impedance of a processing plasma is generally not constant,
however, but may vary depending upon process conditions or other
variables. Variations in plasma impedance may adversely affect the
power delivery from the generator, which typically provides optimal
power delivery only for a particular load impedance. These
variations may also result in undesired drifts or perturbations in
process variables, such as etch or deposition rates, due to changes
in the physical properties of the plasma at different power levels.
As a result, plasma processing systems are often equipped with
impedance matching and control mechanisms or circuitry that respond
to changes in plasma impedance and maintain desired levels of power
delivery to the plasma.
[0006] The use of impedance matching systems and control circuitry
is not always sufficient to ensure stability of the plasma in a
plasma processing system, particularly in operating regimes where
plasma properties fluctuate rapidly or exhibit nonlinear behaviors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,596, for example, describes a method of
stabilizing power furnished to a plasma by engaging an impedance
matching network only after the plasma has been ignited and
stabilized at an initially low power level. Others in the field
have addressed problems of plasma instability by looking to
improvements in the speed and sophistication of matching network
technology, as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,313,584. In
processing applications powered by modern switch-mode power
generators, plasma stability may also be enhanced by incorporating
circuitry that absorbs and dissipates energy at frequencies distant
from the fundamental frequency of the power furnished by the
generator, as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,747,935.
[0007] Despite these improvements, problems of plasma instability
in many semiconductor fabrication operations remain, particularly
those involving the use of electronegative process gases. This is
due in part to the trend toward reduced feature size of
semiconductor products, which often requires process operations at
reduced power levels and gas pressures for critically dimensioned
features. In these process regimes, fluctuations or oscillations in
plasma properties may occur due to competing physical interactions
among the plasma constituents, as for example fluctuations in ion
density due to time-varying rates of ionization and electron
attachment in a plasma formed of an electronegative gas. See, e.g.,
M. A. Lieberman et al., "Instabilities in low-pressure inductive
discharges with attaching gases," 75 Applied Physics Letters 23
(Dec. 6, 1999) 3617-19; A. Descoeudres et al., "Attachment-induced
ionization instability in electronegative capacitive RF
discharges," Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 12 (2003) 152-57. As a
result, the impedance of the plasma can become strongly dependent
upon power level and may even exhibit negative impedance
characteristics; that is, an increase in current will result in a
decrease in voltage across the plasma, causing even more current to
be conducted through the plasma. When attempting to operate in
these low power and pressure regimes, unstable voltage oscillations
may occur within the plasma that are beyond the capabilities of the
power supply or impedance matching control loops to counteract,
resulting in uncontrollable and unrepeatable variations in process
parameters.
[0008] Plasma instability phenomena encountered in low power and
pressure process regimes may be further compounded by the
electrical characteristics of modern switch-mode power supplies. It
has been observed that in a given process regime, plasma
instabilities may result when powering the plasma with certain
radio frequency (RF) power generators but not others. As a general
matter, processes that employ modern switch-mode power supplies to
power the plasma are found to be more susceptible to plasma
instabilities at low powers and pressures, due primarily to the
increased sensitivity of the open-loop power output of these
compact, high efficiency generators to the impedance of the plasma
load compared to that of generators based on older linear
technology. When the open-loop power output of a power generator
varies significantly with load impedance, the generator may
interact with the plasma load in a way such that fluctuations in
plasma impedance are reinforced or amplified by the delivery
system, resulting in unstable oscillations in plasma properties and
a detrimental impact on the process. These fluctuations may in some
cases be exacerbated by unsuccessful actions of the generator power
control loop to correct for the power variances, or may occur
outside the control bandwidth of the generator altogether.
[0009] A conventional approach to problems of plasma instabilities
at low powers and pressures has been simply to avoid operation in
those regimes, or to alter other process parameters, such as gas
flow rates and ratios, in order to stabilize the plasma. U.S. Pat.
No. 6,399,507, for example, describes a method of extending the
stability of a processing plasma into low power regimes by
increasing gas pressures and apportioning the power furnished to
the plasma between capacitive and inductive components. In some
cases, plasma stabilization has been demonstrated using high
bandwidth, high gain feedback control of the plasma RF generator,
as described for example in D. L. Goodman and N. M. P. Benjamin,
"Active control of instabilities for plasma processing with
electronegative gases," J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 36 (2003)
2845-2852. Many process engineers have also observed that adding
particular lengths of transmission line between the power generator
and process chamber has the effect in some cases of stabilizing an
otherwise unstable plasma process. Use of this technique has been
largely empirical and ad hoc, however, and procedures for
determining how and when it may be effective have not heretofore
been offered. Indeed, process engineers today are taught as a
general matter to avoid the use of transmission lines or of
otherwise introducing electrical delays into the coupling between a
power generator and the plasma it powers (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No.
5,643,364). Moreover, a growing trend in plasma processing systems
toward direct mounting of the power generator on the chamber is
removing the transmission line as an available means of stabilizing
the plasma in unstable regimes.
[0010] It would be desirable if the stability of processing plasmas
could be extended into otherwise unstable processing regimes
without the need to alter process parameters, or to search by trial
and error for particular lengths of transmission lines that
stabilize the plasma. It would be further desirable to provide a
means of stabilizing processing plasmas not only in a single
operating condition, but under a range of useful process
regimes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] This invention provides methods and apparatus for
stabilizing the interactions between a plasma and the generator
powering the plasma. The invention generally comprises reactive
elements that operate to modify the apparent impedance
characteristics of the plasma such that the trajectory of the
plasma load impedance as a function of power is substantially
aligned locally with the contours of constant power output in
impedance space. In this way, unstable and uncontrollable
oscillations in plasma power are avoided because reinforcement or
amplification of fluctuations in plasma impedance due to
interactions between the generator and the plasma are reduced or
eliminated.
[0012] In one embodiment, the invention features a network of
reactive circuit elements disposed between an alternating current
radio frequency (RF) power generator and plasma chamber of a plasma
processing system. The reactive network has the effect of rotating
the plasma load impedance trajectory so that for a particular
operating regime of interest, the plasma trajectory is
substantially aligned with the contours of constant power output of
the generator in impedance space. As a result, should a fluctuation
in plasma impedance occur, the power generator does not respond
with a change in power output, but rather continues to deliver
substantially the same power to the plasma. By aligning or matching
the contours of constant power output of the generator and the
plasma impedance trajectory, interactions between the two that may
otherwise lead to plasma instabilities are avoided.
[0013] In one embodiment of the invention, a trajectory matching
circuit comprising a network of inductive and capacitive elements
is disposed at the output of a power generator. The elements of the
trajectory matching circuit are selected and arranged so as to
rotate the plasma impedance trajectory sufficiently to align with
the generator power contours, while leaving unchanged the steady
state impedance of the plasma at the desired operating condition.
In this way, the trajectory matching circuit does not interfere
with the operation of impedance matching circuitry or mechanisms
employed within or together with the generator for optimal power
delivery. In other embodiments, the functions of trajectory
matching and impedance matching are combined into a single circuit.
In these embodiments, the elements of the circuit are selected and
arranged so as to rotate the plasma trajectory to align with the
generator power contours, while substantially matching the steady
state impedance of the plasma to the output impedance of the
generator at the desired operating condition.
[0014] In other embodiments, one or more elements of a trajectory
matching circuit are provided in part or in whole by the reactive
properties of a power transmission line disposed between the RF
generator and the plasma. A trajectory matching procedure is
employed to determine an optimal length of the transmission line
for plasma stability based upon the reactive electrical properties
of the transmission line. At its optimized length, the transmission
line causes the plasma trajectory to rotate in impedance space so
as to align with the generator power contours.
[0015] The trajectory matching elements of the invention may have
fixed electrical properties that align the plasma trajectory under
specific operating conditions. In other embodiments, one or more of
the elements of a trajectory matching circuit are variable or
switchable. By including variability in the configuration of the
trajectory matching circuitry, the invention provides the ability
to match plasma trajectories under a range of process
conditions.
[0016] In some embodiments of the invention, either fixed or
variable elements producing a suitable degree of trajectory
rotation are provided based upon preexisting measurements and
analyses of generator power contours and plasma impedance
trajectories. In other embodiments, impedance characteristics of
the plasma are measured during process operation and used to
monitor the plasma trajectory in real time. In the event that the
plasma impedance trajectory changes during process operation, or is
not known in advance, a switchable or variable trajectory matching
circuit responds to bring the measured values of the plasma
trajectory into alignment with the constant power contours of the
generator.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIGS. 1a, 1b, and 1c illustrate examples of plasma impedance
trajectories and power generator impedance contours in impedance
space.
[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates the angle between the plasma trajectory
and the gradient of the generator power contours in impedance
space.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a plasma processing
system having a trajectory matching circuit between the generator
and plasma chamber in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a Smith chart showing rotation of the plasma
impedance trajectory for the embodiment of the invention depicted
in FIG. 3.
[0021] FIG. 5 illustrates trajectory matching circuits in
accordance with alternative embodiments of the invention.
[0022] FIG. 6a is a schematic representation of a plasma processing
system utilizing a transmission line between the generator and
plasma chamber in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
[0023] FIG. 6b illustrates the dependence of system stability gain
on the length of transmission line for the embodiment of the
invention depicted in FIG. 6a.
[0024] FIG. 6c is a Smith chart showing rotation of the plasma
impedance trajectory for the embodiment of the invention depicted
in FIG. 6a.
[0025] FIGS. 7a and 7b are Smith charts showing two different cases
of combined impedance and trajectory matching for an embodiment of
the invention.
[0026] FIG. 8 illustrates the relationship between values of
inductive and capacitive elements in an embodiment of the invention
comprising a variable trajectory matching circuit.
[0027] FIG. 9 is a schematic representation of a plasma processing
system having a variable trajectory matching circuit and a
trajectory match controller in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] FIGS. 1a, 1b, and 1c illustrate the general concept of
trajectory matching in impedance space in order to stabilize
interactions between a power delivery system and a plasma. The two
dimensions of the space are the real and imaginary components of
complex impedance. The coordinate system may be of any type
including Cartesian, polar, or as represented in a Smith chart. For
a given power generator, contours G define the set of impedance
values at which the generator will deliver constant levels of power
output. The contours represent the open-loop power output of the
generator; that is, the power that the generator will deliver at
various values of load impedance in the absence of any action by a
power control loop. Also depicted in the impedance space are curves
defining the real and imaginary impedance values of a plasma as a
function of power delivered to the plasma. In FIG. 1a, curve
P.sub.A has a trajectory, or slope, that is substantially aligned
with the open-loop generator contours G in the region of at an
operating point Z.sub.0. In FIG. 1b, curve P.sub.B has a trajectory
that is not aligned with the generator contours at the operating
point Z.sub.0.
[0029] In any plasma processing system, fluctuations or
oscillations in the plasma properties may occur due to competing
physical interactions among the plasma constituents, particularly
in plasmas formed of electronegative processing gases. In FIGS. 1a
and 1b, these fluctuations cause the plasma impedance to deviate
from operating point Z.sub.0 along curve P.sub.A or P.sub.B,
respectively. In FIG. 1a, because the plasma impedance trajectory
is aligned with the generator contours, the fluctuations in plasma
impedance occur substantially along a contour of constant power
output from the generator. As a result, little or no reaction of
the generator occurs that would reinforce or amplify the plasma
impedance fluctuations. In FIG. 1b, because the plasma impedance
trajectory is not aligned with the generator contours, the
fluctuations in plasma impedance result in fluctuations in power
output from the generator, which may in turn reinforce or amplify
the plasma impedance fluctuations. The misaligned plasma trajectory
of FIG. 1b thus represents a potentially unstable system
condition.
[0030] In FIG. 1c, the plasma trajectory of FIG. 1b has been
rotated in impedance space by the addition of electrical reactance
or delay between the power delivery system and the plasma resulting
in plasma impedance trajectory P.sub.B* that is substantially
aligned with the generator contours G in the vicinity of the
operating point Z.sub.0. As a result, fluctuations or oscillations
in plasma impedance occur substantially along a contour of constant
power output from the generator, as in the case of the system
depicted in FIG. 1a.
[0031] The effect of trajectory matching may also be appreciated by
analyzing interactions between a generator and a plasma using
classic control loop theory. A generator and plasma form a dynamic
loop, with the dependence of the power output of the generator upon
load impedance representing the gain of the generator, and the
dependence of the plasma impedance upon power level representing
the gain of the plasma. The generator and plasma gains, and the
relative orientation of the plasma trajectory and generator
contours in impedance space, are used to quantify the system gain
and its probability of stability according to the following
expression: 1 System Gain = P / P Z / Z G Z / Z P / P P cos ( )
[0032] where .DELTA.P/P is a normalized change in power, .DELTA.Z/Z
is a normalized change in impedance, subscripts G and P denote
gains of the generator and plasma, respectively, and .phi. is the
angle between the plasma trajectory and the generator power contour
gradient as illustrated in FIG. 2. A generator/plasma system is
generally stable if the expression above is less than one, and
unstable if greater than one. Where the product of the magnitudes
of the plasma and generator gains is much less than one, the system
is inherently stable regardless of the angle .phi.. Where the
product of the gains is substantial, however, stability of the
system depends on the angle between the plasma trajectory and the
gradient of the generator power contours. In those cases, if the
generator contours and plasma trajectory are aligned in the
vicinity of a given operating point, and changes in plasma
impedance therefore occur substantially along a contour of constant
power output from the generator, then the cosine term of the angle
is nearly zero, and the generator/plasma system is stable.
[0033] FIG. 3 illustrates a plasma processing system having a
trajectory matching circuit for stabilizing the process plasma in
accordance with one embodiment of the invention. A plasma
processing system 10 comprises a power generator 12 that provides
alternating current power to a processing plasma 14 contained
within a process chamber 16. Disposed between generator 12 and
plasma 14 is a trajectory matching circuit 20. Although not shown,
the processing system may also include an impedance matching
network or mechanism as part of or in addition to power generator
12. Furthermore, while trajectory matching circuit 20 is depicted
in FIG. 3 as a component of the plasma processing system 10
separate from generator 12, it will be readily appreciated that the
trajectory matching circuitry could alternatively be incorporated
within the physical enclosure of the power generator or other
components of a plasma processing system.
[0034] In the embodiment of FIG. 3, trajectory matching circuit 20
comprises a series inductor L and parallel capacitors C.sub.1 and
C.sub.2. In this embodiment, C.sub.1=C.sub.2=C and L is chosen such
that the effective output impedance of the generator Z.sub.0
remains unchanged. The degree of rotation of the plasma impedance
trajectory is related inversely to the resonant frequency of the
trajectory matching circuit, and is therefore nearly proportional
to {square root}(L*C).
[0035] FIG. 4 illustrates the operation in impedance space of the
trajectory matching circuit depicted in FIG. 3 in the form of a
Smith chart. Curve P is the plasma impedance trajectory determined
through measurement of plasma electrical properties for varying
levels of power delivered to the plasma. With no trajectory
matching circuitry present, the plasma has trajectory P that has a
center impedance of 50 ohms, but that is not aligned with the
generator constant power contour G. The trajectory matching circuit
components have the effect of shifting the impedance of the plasma
along vectors C.sub.2, L, and C.sub.1, respectively, so that the
effective center output impedance remains unchanged at 50 ohms. The
trajectory matching circuit causes the plasma impedance trajectory
to rotate, however, to new trajectory P* that is aligned with the
generator power contour G. As a result, potentially unstable
interactions between the generator and plasma are avoided.
[0036] Preferably, trajectory matching circuitry in accordance with
embodiments of the invention should comprise at least a third order
reactive network to ensure that the desired degree of trajectory
rotation is achieved while leaving steady state impedance
unchanged. FIG. 5 presents examples of alternative embodiments of
trajectory matching circuits in accordance with the present
invention having various third order combinations of capacitive and
inductive elements. A trajectory matching circuit of less than
third order may be employed by operating the circuit in connection
with reactive elements present elsewhere in the power delivery
system, or if a steady state impedance mismatch can be tolerated.
Trajectory matching networks of higher than third order may also be
employed in accordance with the invention. For example, a
trajectory matching network having more than three reactive
elements may be beneficial to account for plasma harmonics or the
dependence of impedance upon frequency of operation of the
generator. In certain embodiments of the invention, trajectory
matching networks of higher than third order are employed to match
more closely the higher order characteristics of the impedance
contours of a plasma for even greater levels of plasma
stability.
[0037] Depending upon the electrical and mechanical architecture of
a given processing system and power generator, elements of a
trajectory matching circuit may be furnished by parasitic or
leakage reactance associated with various subsystems or components
within the system. Trajectory matching may also be accomplished
using the reactive properties of a power transmission line that has
been optimized for plasma stability in accordance with the present
invention. By employing a trajectory matching methodology, the
invention makes it possible to identify readily without a
cumbersome process of trial and error particular types and lengths
of power transmission lines disposed between a power generator and
process chamber that will avoid unstable generator/plasma
interactions.
[0038] FIG. 6a illustrates a plasma processing system 10 having an
RF power generator 12 coupled to a plasma 14 in a plasma chamber 16
through a transmission line 18. In accordance with an embodiment of
the invention, a trajectory matching methodology is used to
determine the impedance trajectory of the plasma at an operating
condition and stabilize the plasma by matching the trajectory of
the plasma to the contours of the power delivery system using the
reactive properties of the transmission line. In FIG. 6b, the
overall system stability gain of the plasma processing system 10 is
modeled as a function of the length of the transmission line 18. In
this system, operating nominally at a generator frequency of 2 MHz,
it is observed that the plasma exhibits instabilities when
operating with an interconnecting coaxial power line of one length
between the generator and chamber, in this case 12 feet. Referring
to FIG. 6b, it can be seen that the system stability gain is very
close to 1 at this condition, creating a high probability of
instability. When the transmission line is replaced with a line 48
feet in length, the plasma is stabilized. As can be seen in FIG.
6b, the system stability gain for this line length is zero,
creating an inherently stable system.
[0039] The effect in impedance space of the length of transmission
line 18 can be seen in FIG. 6c. For a line length of 48 feet, the
plasma trajectory P.sub.48 is aligned with the generator impedance
contour G. For a line length of 12 feet, however, the plasma
trajectory P.sub.12 is nearly orthogonal to that of the generator.
In this way, by first determining the plasma trajectory and
creating an impedance trajectory model of the generator and
transmission line, a line length that avoids unstable
generator/plasma interactions may be readily determined. The
trajectory matching procedure may be employed to improve plasma
stability using transmission line either alone or in combination
with other trajectory matching circuitry as described in connection
with other embodiments of the invention.
[0040] In another embodiment of the invention, the network 20
illustrated in FIG. 3 is a combined impedance and trajectory
matching circuit. Impedance and trajectory matching circuit 20
comprises a series inductor L and parallel capacitors C.sub.1 and
C.sub.2. A combined impedance and trajectory matching circuit may
comprise alternative combinations of reactive elements, such as
those illustrated in FIG. 5. Because the combined impedance and
trajectory matching circuit has at least three degrees of freedom
in the choice of component values, the real and imaginary
components of plasma impedance as well as the impedance trajectory
may be matched at a desired operating point. FIGS. 7a and 7b
illustrate how the values of C.sub.1, L, and C.sub.2 may be
selected so as to provide identical center impedance matching at a
particular operating condition while causing different degrees of
trajectory rotation. In FIG. 7a, the 50 .OMEGA. output impedance of
the generator, in this case for an exemplary 13.56 MHz power
delivery system, is matched to a load impedance with a real
component of 25 .OMEGA. at -50 degrees phase, with an impedance
trajectory aligned with the real axis. In FIG. 7b, different values
of C.sub.1, L, and C.sub.2 are used to match to the same center
load impedance, but with an impedance trajectory aligned with the
imaginary axis. With proper selection of the combined impedance and
trajectory matching circuit components, the plasma impedance
trajectory may be rotated to any orientation while matching center
output impedance as well.
[0041] In other embodiments of the invention, a plasma processing
system comprises a variable trajectory matching circuit. In these
embodiments, one or more elements of the trajectory matching
circuit has reactive properties that may be varied in order to
adjust the degree of trajectory rotation produced by the circuit.
In one embodiment, the variable trajectory matching circuit
comprises the pi network depicted in FIG. 3 in which C.sub.1, L and
C.sub.2 are each variable. FIG. 8 illustrates the values of
inductance L and capacitance C.sub.1=C.sub.2=C in this embodiment
that result in a center load impedance of 50 .OMEGA. as a function
of the degree of impedance trajectory rotation for a 13.56 MHz
system. Thus, by varying the reactive values of the circuit
elements according to this relationship, a trajectory match between
the generator and plasma can be achieved under process conditions
that require different degrees of trajectory rotation. While
impedance trajectory variability in this embodiment is provided in
the form of continuously variable circuit elements C.sub.1, L and
C.sub.2, impedance variability may also be provided by other means
known to those of skill in the art, such as through the use of
switched arrays of discrete reactive elements or through variation
of the output frequency of the RF generator. Naturally, a variable
trajectory matching circuit may comprise alternative combinations
of variable reactive elements, for example in configurations such
as those illustrated in FIG. 5.
[0042] FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of the invention having a
variable trajectory matching circuit controlled by feedback of
plasma impedance properties measured in real time. The variable
trajectory matching circuit 22 is disposed between an RF power
generator 12 and a plasma chamber 16. Also provided are plasma
current and voltage sensors I.sub.SENSE and V.sub.SENSE,
respectively, and trajectory match system controller 24. To measure
the plasma impedance trajectory during operational conditions, the
trajectory match controller 24 directs the generator 12 to deliver
a small perturbation in power output .DELTA.P. Using the
time-varying measurements of plasma voltage and current at both the
baseline and incremented power conditions, the controller 24
computes the magnitude and phase angle (i.e. slope) of the plasma
impedance trajectory P. The generator power contours for various
match conditions G(Match) reside in a database accessible to the
controller 24, having been measured prior to operation. Based on a
comparison of the plasma trajectory P and the generator power
contours G(Match), the trajectory match controller 24 uses a
control algorithm to generate feedback signals to the variable
trajectory matching circuit 22. The feedback signals cause
adjustments to the variable reactive elements of the trajectory
matching circuit, such as values of inductance or capacitance,
thereby rotating the plasma impedance trajectory into alignment
with the generator power contours at the match condition.
[0043] Although there is illustrated and described herein specific
structure and details of operation, it is to be understood that
these descriptions are exemplary and that alternative embodiments
and equivalents may be readily made by those skilled in the art
without departing from the spirit and the scope of this invention.
Accordingly, the invention is intended to embrace all such
alternatives and equivalents that fall within the spirit and scope
of the appended claims.
* * * * *